A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73: End of Semester (3)

Sylvia began casting her spell. Her magic circle formed slowly, drawing the eager attention of the entire class. As a leading candidate for the next Archmage, the students were keen to see what kind of magic Sylvia of Iliade would create.

From the start, her spell demonstrated a mana volume that far surpassed that of most professors. She skillfully wove her spell with immense mana.

“Huh?”

However, as Epherene observed closely, doubts began to surface. She could see it clearly—Sylvia’s magic circle was flawed.

Swooosh—!

A fierce wind whipped through the field, distorting the space around them. The ground was scoured, and Epherene’s robe billowed in the gusts. Deculein observed Sylvia in silence. Her spell continued to amplify but failed to produce any tangible effect.

Sizzle-crackle...

The concentrated mana scorched the ground, surging and contracting with intense energy. Sensing the imminent threat of an explosion, Deculein intervened, severing the magic circuit.

The spell was safely dismantled, and the field fell silent. The Debutants whispered among themselves, surprised by Sylvia’s failure.

“I failed.”

Sylvia, whose spell had been dismantled, remained unfazed. She looked up at Deculein and hesitantly said, “I still have a lot to learn.”

However, Deculein’s gaze was cold as he shook his head, clearly disapproving.

“Professor, this is unfair,” Sylvia said, biting her lip.

“What is?” Deculein inquired

“You told me I have nothing to learn because of my skill, while the less competent receive more instruction,” Sylvia argued.

Some Debutants shifted uncomfortably at her words.

“It doesn’t make sense. Those who excel should receive more attention and guidance.”

Sylvia believed she was the most deserving of his teachings. Meeting her Muse had been a stroke of luck. She had faith she would flourish even more under his guidance. There was nothing of value to learn from a place like the Floating Island.

“No, it’s not unfair,” Deculein said, looking at Sylvia.

“It’s not fair,” Sylvia insisted, holding his gaze without flinching.

"The unfairness is in your talent."

"The unfairness lies in your talent," Deculein declared. The atmosphere grew tense. "Is a genius's struggle truly greater than that of an ordinary person?"

Kim Woo-Jin once listened to a genius lament their struggles. This genius, who had more talent and had studied abroad on scholarships, complained that their art wasn’t coming together and that the standards set for them were too high.

“That’s incorrect. Those who do not require teaching cannot comprehend the struggles of those who depend on it to grow.”

He had never concerned himself with the hardships and slumps that geniuses might endure. Those who shed tears of blood due to lack of talent despised whining geniuses. Deculein likely felt the same.

“Sylvia, this is not an academy. Your complaints will find no audience here. If you cannot endure, then you should leave.”

Sylvia lowered her head.

“If you refuse to quit, then prove yourself worthy of your talent.”

His words pierced her heart like blades, shattering her spirit.

"Also, the mana concentration you deliberately caused was dangerous. An explosion could have resulted in casualties. Had another professor handled the dismantling, it might have led to a mana leak. Therefore, you receive ten penalty points."

Ten penalty points were the maximum Deculein could impose, something regular professors couldn’t do.

“Wow, ten points... that's crazy as hell,” Epherene muttered as the entire class gasped.

At that moment, her eyes met Deculein's.

“Epherene, using foul language during class is unacceptable,” Deculein said.

"Wait, no! Please, I'm sorry! Don't!" Epherene pleaded desperately.

“One more penalty point.”

“Nooo—!”

***

The end of the semester at the Mage Tower was a hectic period for both students and staff. Professors embarked on new projects or assessed their progress, while mages prepared for exams or wrote theses. This time also marked the peak of recruitment efforts from territories, nations, corporations, and adventurer groups.

With winter missions involving monster waves and civilian support on the horizon, the end of the summer semester was critical for a mage’s career.

"Professor Louina, we’ve received 117 counseling requests this week alone," Jenkin reported, her direct protégé at the Mage Tower of the Kingdom.

With one hundred and seventeen people—thirty-nine times more than Deculein—requesting her counsel, Louina's reputation from the kingdom and the positive word of mouth at the Mage Tower had ensured she was constantly sought after.

“... Professor?” Jenkin called.

But Louina was lost in thought, her mind repeatedly replaying what she had witnessed earlier with Deculein.

“... It was blood,” Louina muttered.

“Sorry?”

Blood had stained Deculein’s lips, and his office carried a distinct scent of it. Such a smell couldn’t come from a minor wound or a simple nosebleed.

"Just as I suspected..."

Louina was convinced it was hemoptysis. She leaned back in her chair and sighed. After today, she was almost certain that Deculein would die in five years.

“Professor?”

"... Yes? Oh, right. 1,117 people. So if I see a hundred each day, what?! Over a thousand?!” Louina exclaimed, suddenly snapping out of her thoughts.

“One hundred and seventeen students, Professor.”

“Oh... then seeing ten people a day should be manageable.”

“Yes, Professor. Additionally, the approval documents have arrived,” Jenkin informed her.

"Already? It’s only been three hours,” Louina said, her eyes widening in surprise.

The documents Jenkin handed her bore the official approval stamp from the Director of Planning and Financial Coordination Office. Louina had expected it to take at least one or two weeks.

Louina smiled bitterly, nodded, and then said, “Things are moving smoothly. Since we’ve secured the budget, go ahead and bring the others back.”

Louina had officially resigned from the Mage Tower of the Kingdom. While her most trusted protégé took over her position as head professor, many others still wished to follow her.

“Yes, Professor. I’ve already contacted them,” Jenkin said.

“Good. You may go.”

Once Jenkin left, Louina surveyed her office.

“It’s spacious,” Louina muttered to herself.

The professor’s office on the 47th floor of the Mage Tower of the Empire was as spacious as the head professor's office at the Mage Tower of the Kingdom, illustrating the stark contrast between the kingdom and the Empire.

"Ha, only five years left... Maybe it’s just karma," Louina muttered bitterly, her cynical tone betraying her frustration. She finally let out a deep sigh.

Her desire for revenge against Deculein had once been a burning passion, a purpose that had filled a significant part of her life. But to find that this would be the outcome felt anticlimactic.

"Both our lives are a complete mess," Louina muttered, her emotions in turmoil.

More accurately, she felt utterly wretched.

***

At 6 p.m., after classes ended, Epherene, who had accumulated excessive penalty points, was taken to the Mage Tower's administrative office.

“Haha! Look who it is! Your final penalty points must have come from Head Professor Deculein," Relin said, laughing heartily. "I always knew he’d lose patience with your insolence eventually!”

Professor Relin, who took great pride in maintaining discipline at the Mage Tower, laughed heartily as he handed Epherene a variety of cleaning supplies. Brooms, mops, rubber gloves, and detergents—all went into a wheeled cart.

“Out you go, troublemaker! Start cleaning! Hahaha!”

"Where do I start?" Epherene asked.

"Today, you'll be cleaning from the third floor to the fourth! Hahaha!"

"... Okay.."

"Haha! Hehe! Hahaha! Guffaw! Hahaha!" Relin laughed like a madman, as if his lungs were filled with air.

Pouting, Epherene trudged outside. She could use magic for the cleaning, but the sheer number of bathrooms was the real problem. Each floor had over ten bathrooms, and with two floors to clean, that totaled twenty.

"No wonder my horoscope said this week would be bad. I need to switch to tarot readings," Epherene muttered as she began cleaning the bathrooms on the third floor.

Initially, Epherene attempted to use Telekinesis to handle the tools, but it proved too challenging. Instead, she mixed detergent into the water cast by her Water Serpent spell and carefully scrubbed the toilets and tiles, making sure not to splash any dirty water.

"... Phew."

After finishing the first bathroom, Epherene stepped out and saw Deculein standing by the executive elevator on the third floor.

“Oh.”

He was in a perfect suit, ready to leave for the day. He frowned in disgust at Epherene’s appearance, and she felt a surge of irritation. It was all his fault. If he had given her only one penalty point instead of two, she would have had thirteen instead of fourteen.

“Professor, don’t you think giving ten penalty points at once was excessive? No one has received that many points at once in the past ten years,” Epherene said.

"You were only given two points," Deculein said, his eyes conveying disdain as if questioning her ability to do simple math.

Epherene’s face reddened with anger as she replied, “No, not me. I meant Sylvia.”

Deculein regarded her calmly and said, "Epherene."

"Yes, sir."

"Who are you to worry about others? Sylvia was the only Debutant who understood my lesson. You lack the ability to understand."

Epherene fell silent. If he put it that way, she couldn't argue. Sylvia was the only one who had received a perfect score in the midterms.

Ding—

Thud—

"Ugh, forget about nepotism. I just met with Professor Deculein," Epherene said.

“Heh. So, you do have feelings for him.”

Sizzle, sizzle—

The owner shrugged and asked, "Oh, then how are you two connected?"

“Haha, what a humorous noble she is. Enjoy your meal. You too, Epherene,” the owner said, laughing heartily as he walked away.